When: It was a short week for many of the NBA’s teams leading into the all-star break. But Oklahoma City managed to squeeze in three games in the latest evaluation period of Feb. 7-13. And Kevin Durant was stellar in that span, earning him Denver Post player of the week honors.

What’s up: Durant was a cumulative plus-20.7, which led all players, as the Thunder won all three games. Durant averaged 31.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists in the three games. He shot a sizzling 65.3 percent from the field and an impressive 61.9 percent from 3-point range.

Background: Anyone who attended the Nuggets’ game against Oklahoma City on Feb. 9 knows that was Durant’s best game of the week — 40 points, with full range on his jump shot on display all night long. His most important production, however, came in a win over the Memphis Grizzlies two nights later. His 26 points and 10 rebounds helped OKC topple one of the West’s best as the Thunder continues to climb back into the playoff race.

Dempsey’s take: It’s crazy to think this is Durant’s first player of the week award this season, but remember, he missed significant time because of injuries. He’s still played in only 26 of the Thunder’s 53 games to date. Because of that, he’s relatively fresh, a scary thought for teams opposing him after the all-star break.

We don’t know what Nuggets general manager Tim Connelly and head coach Brian Shaw ultimately have in store in putting their stamp on reworking the Nuggets roster.

But we have clues.

Those clues came in the first few weeks after both were hired in 2014. Shaw talked about playing inside, out. He talked about playing smashmouth basketball. Yet those are things his teams have never been able to get to, in either year of his coaching tenure.

But that won’t be the case for long. The Nuggets will get to work on constructing a team that plays that way, because if Shaw is going to go down he’s going to go down playing the type of basketball he wants to play.

There’s not one surefire way to makeover a roster. In this case, using what little we know we’ve blended free agency and the draft in a way that checks off many of the boxes.

So, for entertainment purposes only, this is how the Nuggets can get from here — 20-33 at the All Star break — to something different, and better, in the future.

When: So many players had all-star-level production during the evaluation period of Jan. 31-Feb. 6, but Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook stood out from the rest. And because of that, the Thunder point guard has earned his second Post player of the week award this season.
What’s up: Westbrook was on fire for a Thunder team that won twice in four games during the week with averages of 33.0 points, 9.0 assists, 8.0 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game. On top of that, Westbrook was a 50-40-90 guy from the field, shooting 51.1 percent overall, 41.2 percent from 3-point range and 91.7 percent from the free-throw line.

Background: Westbrook’s two biggest games of the week came in a home-and-home series against New Orleans. The Thunder, without Kevin Durant, took the first game, in New Orleans, with Westbrook leading the way with 45 points, six assists and six rebounds. Durant returned for the second matchup, but it was the Westbrook show again, as he scored 48 points with 11 assists and nine rebounds. And it would have been the headline had Anthony Davis not made a double-clutch, buzzer-beating 3-pointer to win that game.

Dempsey’s take: Say what you want about Westbrook’s willingness, or unwillingness to pass, or to back down as the Robin to Kevin Durant’s Batman; the man is the most explosive guard in the league. He scores at will and is a triple-double threat pretty much every time he hits the court.

Arron Afflalo works against Utah’s Alec Burks in a game earlier this season. (Rick Bowmer, The Associated Press)

The Nuggets are holding firm to seeking a first-round pick from teams wanting to trade for shooting guard Arron Afflalo, according to NBA sources.

There have been no takers, although interest remains high for Afflalo’s services. Teams don’t want to relinquish a first-rounder for a player that might walk on them at the end of the season. Afflalo has a player option for the final year of his contract.

It is a snag that prevented Afflalo from being dealt to Charlotte, sources said. The Hornets had been interested in acquiring Afflalo to add firepower to a team that ranks 27th in the NBA in scoring, at just more than 94 points per game. The trade deadline is Feb. 19.

The Nuggets have already acquired two first-round picks, both coming from Cleveland as part of the Timofey Mozgov trade.

BOSTON — Three takeaways from the Nuggets’ 104-100 loss to the Celtics at TD Garden on Wednesday night.

Jae Crowder’s defending beats Gallinari’s sealing. Two of the Nuggets most critical turnovers late in the game were on plays involving Danilo Gallinari. With the Nuggets down 92-90, Ty Lawson — standing at the 3-point line — attempted an entry pass to Gallinari, who was posted up so high that it allowed Lawson’s defender, Marcus Smart, to be able to guard two players at once. With virtually no usable space between Lawson and Gallo, and with Lawson at a bad angle anyway, his pass was easily tipped and picked off by the high-intensity Smart. And while it can be argued Lawson shouldn’t have made the pass in the first place, had Gallinari walked Jae Crowder down more from his starting spot, which was the 3-point line, and then held his ground to not get pushed so far away from the rim on the post up, things would have been fine. Read more…

Jump-shot happy. One of the Nuggets most concerning trends of late has been their willingness to shoot jump shot after jump shot after jump shot. In the loss to Philadelphia on Tuesday, it reached new levels. Of the Nuggets’ 85 shots, 52 of them were jump shots. They took 31 3-pointers in the game, and made 12, so that could have been worse. But in the second quarter alone the Nuggets took just 10 of their 26 shots in the paint.

If you’re thinking it was staunch Philadelphia defense that reduced the Nuggets shot selection to just those along the perimeter…well…not so much. Sure, there was the requisite ‘keep the opponent out of the paint’ defense, and Philly is one of the NBA’s best shot-blocking teams, but by and large it was a lack of aggressiveness that led to the high number of jump shots hoisted by the Nuggets. The one player who did force the issue, driving into the paint — Danilo Gallinari — was rewarded with 11 free throw attempts. He made 10.

“We can’t find an excuse for a game like this. We have to flush it down the toilet,” Gallinari said.

If your only impression of the game is the score, know this: The Nuggets’ latest loss was much worse than 18 points. They got destroyed from the tip. Cody Zeller, looking like an all-star, dropped a game-high 21 on the Nuggets’ lacking defense. Fans in Section 130 started sarcastically cheering every Zeller play. He was the only exciting thing in the game.

The Nuggets, in response, showed very little.

And if Denver coach Brian Shaw wasn’t on the hot seat already, he may be now.

Cleveland Cavaliers’ Kyrie Irving (2) loses control of the ball under pressure from Sacramento Kings Ben McLemore (23) during the second quarter of an NBA basketball game Friday, Jan. 30, 2015, in Cleveland. (Tony Dejak, The Associated Press)

Spotlight on… Kyrie Irving, point guard, Cavaliers

When: For the third consecutive week, the NBA had a player top the 50-point mark in a game. This time it was Cleveland’s Kyrie Irving, and that, plus a solid week overall, makes him The Denver Post’s NBA player of the week.

What’s up: The Cavaliers are on a hot streak, and with Irving playing a huge part, they won all four games. Irving averaged 33.8 points, 5.8 assists and 1.8 steals, while shooting 50.5 percent from the field and 54.8 percent from the 3-point line.

Background: It hasn’t been the smoothest transition for Irving since the arrival of LeBron James, but he has gone about his business like a pro and is hitting his stride. His 55 points in a win over Portland — a game James missed — was the most sparkling of the four performances. He hit 11 3-pointers in that one, and made 17-of-36 shots after starting 0-of-7 in the game. So he finished that game 17-of-29. Crazy. And that game was played the day after he poured in 38 points in a win over Detroit.

Dempsey’s take: Irving is one of the true gentlemen of the NBA and as talented a guard as you’ll find. He was last season’s All-Star Game MVP, and he’s back in that classic. Cleveland struggled for the first 2½ months this season, but with a couple of shrewd trades and players such as Irving stepping up, the Cavs are resembling the team that was expected to contend for a title.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Forgotten among the post-game hoopla in the Nuggets’ loss to the Grizzlies was the fact that center JaVale McGee returned to the court, playing in a game for the first time since Dec. 5.

Nuggets center JaVale McGee played on Thursday for the first time since early-December. (Photo By Karl Gehring/The Denver Post)

And all things considered, his return had to be viewed a successful one.

First, the numbers. McGee played 15 minutes in the game and had two points, five rebounds and a block. But more importantly to him was starting the journey of contributing and playing the way he ultimately wants to — with bounce and athleticism. Read more…

“We blame the coaches all the time and these players never take responsibility,” Barkley said. “It’s hard to lose an NBA game by 30 points. I feel bad because Brian is a really nice guy and a good coach. It’s a players league and sometimes the coach gets thrown under the bus.” Read more…

Jusuf Nurkic has played better that most would have imagined during his rookie season. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)

NEW ORLEANS — Ultimately, Jusuf Nurkic will use the All-Star break as a chance to get back home to Bosnia for a few relaxing days. But his omission from the Rising Stars Challenge, two teams comprised of rookies and sophomores, was at the very least eyebrow raising.

Going into Wednesday night’s games across the league, Nurkic was ninth among rookies (with 10 or more games) in scoring at 6.5 points, second in rebounding at 5.9 boards, and third in blocks (1.4). All solid. In January Nurkic has averaged 7.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.8 blocks. Read more…

LOS ANGELES — Observations from the Nuggets’ 102-98 loss to the L.A. Clippers on Monday night at the Staples Center.

Killer instinct. Usually this space is saved for more in-depth analysis, but there was some talk about this after the game – the lack of it – and it should be highlighted. The Nuggets have lost their last three games by four or fewer points during this seven-game losing streak. And as tenuous as it is, the Nuggets have held at least a one-point lead in the last six minutes of four of them – Minnesota, Boston, Washington and the Clippers.

But from the 5:55 mark to the end of the game against the Timberwolves they were outscored 19-10. Boston maintained its one-point advantage with six minutes to go, winning by that margin though the Nuggets led by one with 1:34 to go. The Nuggets led the Wizards by two with 57 seconds to go, but ended up tied and lost the game in overtime. And on Monday night against the Clippers, they led by six with six minutes to go, and were outscored 22-12 to end the game. Read more…

Nuggets coach Brian Shaw steamed at a call late in the game he thought should have gone the Nuggets way. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES — There’s a level of irritation contained within almost every shooting foul that is called on the floor anyway.

But late in the Nuggets’ loss to the L.A. Clippers on Monday night, that irritation reached the level of infuriating when one of those came at a critical juncture.

Down three points with nine seconds left, the Nuggets ran a play that got Danilo Gallinari a good look at a 3-point shot. And he pulled up for that shot. As Gallinari went up, Clippers forward Matt Barnes pulled down his right arm — his shooting arm. Gallinari switched the ball to his left hand and put the attempt up.

The Nuggets dropped another game Sunday night, a 117-115 overtime thriller to the Wizards at Pepsi Center. Ty Lawson returned to pour in 31 points and 12 assists, Wilson Chandler added another 20 points and Kenneth Faried pulled in 11 rebounds.

But arguably the biggest highlight (sorry, Nuggets fans) came from John Wall, the league’s leader in assists. With about 1:20 remaining in the third, he connected with Marcin Gortat off a pick-and-roll, sending him a through-the-legs pass that left Jusuf Nurkic stuck in his tracks (literally) and Danilo Gallinari behind the ball.

Klay Thompson scored a record 37 points in a quarter in the Warriors’ win over the Kings on Friday. (Getty Images)

Spotlight on … Klay Thompson, guard, Warriors

When: His week was solid overall. But it was one performance that put Klay Thompson over the top, edging out Houston’s James Harden as The Denver Post’s NBA player of the week for the evaluation period of Jan. 17-23.

What’s up: The Warriors won four times — twice over Harden’s Rockets — and Thompson got better each game. He averaged 32.0 points and made 56.8 percent of his shots. But it gets better. Thompson sizzled from the 3-point line, hitting 58.3 percent of his shots behind the arc. It gets even better. He was an extraordinary plus-26.3 for the week.

Klay Thompson has no connection to Colorado. None. Except for being one of the many prospects to work out for the Nuggets ahead of the 2011 draft. But beyond that, none.

He did, however, drop 37 points in the third quarter of the Warriors’ victory over the Kings on Friday night to break the NBA’s record for most points in a single quarter (George Gervin had 33 in a 1978 game). Thompson scored 19 straight points during a stretch and finished with 52 points on 16-of-25 shooting from the field and 11-of-15 from 3.

In other words, he’s now one of the most important human beings alive who has no involvement in DeflateGate. So his presence on this website is needed.

Besides, Denver fans have been tortured with enough awfulquarters. So here you go: Enjoy a great one.

Could a Brook Lopez trade be in the Nuggets’ future? (Frank Franklin II, The Associated Press)

The Brooklyn Nets recently tried, unsuccessfully, to deal center Brook Lopez, which led to the franchise putting the brakes on any such move.

But when the trade wheels get back turning again — and they will — there will be no shortage of suitors, and the Nuggets are expected to be among them. They’ve already made one run at it, but were rebuffed along with everyone else by the Nets in favor of negotiations with Oklahoma City, and those talks got intense before breaking down.

But there remains plenty of time before the Feb. 19 trade deadline, and the Nuggets have a lot to offer if they want to gamble. The question is how much to put on the table to entice Brooklyn to get into serious talks. There are inherent risks: Lopez has a player option after this season, so there would have to be some sort of assurances from his representation that he wouldn’t just walk and leave the Nuggets lighter on assets and out one big-time center at year’s end.

The 2015 NBA All-Star Weekend Slam Dunk contest is set for Feb. 14 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, and while my hope for a Vince Carter comeback has been quashed (again), this year’s reported lineup could be interesting.

According to Yahoo Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski, Milwaukee’s Giannis “Greek Freak” Antetokounmpo and Orlando’s Victor Oladipo have both committed to participate in the contest, while Brooklyn’s Mason Plumlee and Minnesota’s Zach LaVine are also slated to be part of the competition.

LaVine, who has been eager to get in the dunk contest, told The Denver Post before a game at Pepsi Center that he already had his dunks picked out if the NBA came calling. So while the other three brainstorm, here’s a look back at some of the best throw-downs (at least, that we’ve seen):

Nuggets coach Brian Shaw looks on against the Spurs on Tuesday in Denver. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)

Brian Shaw was spit-balling. Before the Nuggets’ fourth consecutive loss Tuesday, a 109-99 defeat to the Spurs in Denver, the coach talked about all the different ideas he’s toyed with to turn his team around.

One of those ideas included a curious comment about Kenneth Faried.

At one point, Shaw was asked if he’s considered inserting forward Darrell Arthur into the starting lineup.

“And take who out?” Shaw said. “Darrell and Kenneth would be a small starting front court, if I went that way. If I took Kenneth out of the starting lineup, I’d probably get egged by all the fans around here because everybody is a big Manimal fan.”

Randy Foye was hoping to save Nuggets possession when he dived into the front row during Tuesday’s game against the Spurs. He instead got a couple of beers.

Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard deflected a pass intended for Foye with about three minutes remaining in the first quarter, sending the Nuggets’ guard sprinting down court and then crashing into some courtside seats — the ones where spectators shell out big money and get waiter service. Foye tumbled into a server with a tray of beers that ultimately landed on his head.

The incident briefly stopped play and required the assistant of SuperMascot Rocky to clean up the mess before action could resume.

If you’re keeping count, that play resulted in one turnover for the Nuggets, two points for the Spurs and two lost beers for fans. Read more…

Chris Dempsey arrived at The Denver Post in Dec. 2003 after seven years at the Boulder Daily Camera, where he primarily covered the University of Colorado football and men's basketball teams. A University of Colorado-Boulder alumnus, Dempsey covers the Nuggets and also chips in on college sports.

Nicki Jhabvala is the Sports Digital News Editor for The Denver Post. Before arriving in Denver, she spent five years at Sports Illustrated working primarily as its online NBA editor, and she was most recently the overnight home page editor at the New York Times.